Bugatti cars for sale

To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RMs Amelia Island event, March 14, 2015. To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmauctions.com/. Estimate:$2,500,000 - $3,250,000 Body Style 3912. 160 bhp, 3,257 cc dual overhead-camshaft inline eight-cylinder engine with a Roots-type supercharger, four-speed manual gearbox, solid front axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, solid rear axle with quarter-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel Lockheed dual master hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 130 in.One of three extant Aravis Cabriolets by GangloffDesirable supercharged specificationThe 2012 Amelia Island Best of Show winnerDocumented by Bugatti historian Pierre-Yves LaugierChassis 57710 is one of only three extant examples of the Aravis Cabriolet by Gangloff that were built in 1938 and 1939. Like other Bugatti bodies, the Aravis was named after a beautiful mountain range, and it was designated as a 2/3-seater cabriolet when it was first offered in the 1938 catalogue. Only Gangloff and Letourneur et Marchand were allowed to dub their 2/3-seater cabriolets the Aravis, and it is believed that each coachbuilder produced six of these bodies, of which three by Gangloff survive, as do three by Letourneur et Marchand.This car is based on a Gangloff drawing, number 3912, which is dated October 7, 1938, and a copy of this drawing is in the cars file as part of a report prepared by Bugatti historian Pierre-Yves Laugier. According to Gangloff records, the order for this Aravis Cabriolet, style number 3912, was placed by the Piot Garage, under number 235, and it was delivered there in November 1938, with chassis 57710 and a naturally aspirated engine, number 510. According to the Bugatti factory list of agents, the Piot Garage was located in Dijon, France. On November 5, 1938, chassis number 57710 was officially registered in the name of its first private owner, Mr. Fernand Rey of Dijon, who was the proprietor of a pharmaceutical company, and it was licensed under the number 700 DU 4. A copy of the registration record, which is also on file, contains a note indicating that the car was sent to the south of France at the beginning of the war, and it likely remained there for the rest of the conflict. Fortunately, Mr. Rey was able to retain ownership of his Bugatti throughout the war, and then, in 1950, he sold it to Roger Teillac. Teillac was a Bugatti specialist who had been in business since before the war, and at the time of purchase, he was the proprietor of the Laos Garage in Paris. Teillac continued to drive the Bugatti under its original registration, and thus, the Dijon police received a letter from Rey, which indicated that he had sold the car to Teillac on August 11, 1950. Around the autumn of 1950, the car was sold by Teillac to Raoul Bensoussan, a garage owner living in Oran, Algeria. According to his younger brother, Edgard, the car was purchased for about 9,000 francs. It is believed that Raoul left the car in Marseille and let Edgard use it when he was on holiday in the Alps in the summer of 1952. Afterwards, the car was sold to a Mr. Weiss, a bailiff from Oran.Weiss was very interested in the car but could not pay cash, so he proposed to the Bensoussan brothers that he would trade it for his Delahaye Coupe des Alpes and some cash, to which they agreed. Legal ownership of the car was transferred to Weiss, and the brothers learned later on that Weiss was divorcing from his wife and would not be able to complete the deal because he needed to pay for alimony, so there was no car and no money for the brothers. Around 1960, Bugatti enthusiast J. Liscourt, who would own around eight examples of the marque in the early 1960s, found Weiss Aravis in a garage in Toulouse, where it was reportedly in excellent condition and wearing its original two-tone blue paint. Liscourt, along with noted collector Yves Dalmier, helped direct Bugattis to well-known Brussels dealer Jean de Dobbeleer. After owning the car for a short period and using it to travel to his familys home in the north of France, Liscourt ultimately sold 57710 through de Dobbeleer to the United States in April 1961. At some point before the car left Europe, its original motor, number 510, was removed and installed in 55223, and a replacement Type 57 motor was restamped and installed. De Dobbeleers associate in the U.S. was Gene Cesari, who helped find a new owner for the car within weeks. As such, it can be seen in both Charles Fawcetts The Bugattis of Jean de Dobeleer and Gene Cesaris Bugatti Memories. The purchaser of 57710 was Dr. J.E. Fields, of Joliett, Illinois, and his ownership was noted in Hugh Conways 1962 Bugatti Register. By 1979, the American Bugatti Register quotes the new owner as Edwin Andrews, of Evanston, Illinois. It was subsequently owned by well-known Chicago collector William Jacobs, after which it was acquired by the Behring Collection and then eventually passed to a noted East Coast collector. During a previous restoration, the dorsal fin was lengthened to allow for the removal of the European-style license plate cutout, the hood louvers had been restyled, and an original supercharger was added to upgrade the car to the potent 57C specification. The current owners acquired the car in the mid-2000s and consigned it to respected restorers at LaVine Restorations, who performed a full concours-quality restoration. In the process, the hood louvers were changed back to their original style and the single blade bumpers, which had been added in the 1950s, were replaced with the standard Type 57 bumpers, as seen in period photos. The engine was fully rebuilt by Sam Jepson who incorporated a high-quality recast block that had been sourced by Scott Sergeant; specification and dynamometer sheets from the rebuild are available for inspection. As completed, this 57C Aravis performs as well as it looks, having won numerous awards, including Best of Show at the Glenmoor Gathering in 2011 and subsequently Amelia Island in 2012.This rare 1938 Aravis is a very proper car, having had only a few French owners during its early life. It is known that the Gangloff coachwork was well-preserved when it was eventually shipped to its new home, where it was in the hands of caring collectors, and it has lived there ever since. The other two surviving Bugatti Aravis by Gangloff are in the hands of long-term collections, making the offering of this particularly flamboyant car a special opportunity indeed.

SYMBOLIC PRESENTS THIS AMAZING CLASSIC SUPER CAR KNOWN AS THE BUGATTI EB110. CALL TODAY TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION AT 858 454 1800!!! 1993 Bugatti EB110GT Two-door, two-seat, mid-engine, quad-turbo, 3.5-Liter V12 Sports Car Left-Hand-Drive VIN - ZA9AB01E0PCD39023 035 Bugatti Blue Grey Leather Yutaro Okamoto (Japan) 8,007 kilometers from new This is the 6th of only 95 Bugatti EB110 Sports cars completed from 1992 to 1995. Of those only 85 are know to still survive. This is a single owner from new vehicle that has covered 8,000 kilometers from new (4,900 miles.) The original owner took delivery of this vehicle in at the Bugatti Factory and the following year entered and ran the car in that year's Italian run Bugatti Rally. After the rally, the car was serviced and then shipped to the owner's museum collection in Japan where it remained until being sold to a dealer there and then earlier this month to us. This Bugatti has just completed full "Show & Display" compliance work and it is EPA/DOT exempt and now ready for immediate purchase and delivery. Call today at 858 454 1800!

1937 Bugatti Type 57/59 Super Sport Special Roadster s/n 57608 (BC128) engine no. 453 Two-Tone Dark Blue and Silver with Dark Blue Leather Interior This car is a spectacular no expense spared Bugatti special built with exceptional attention to detail. Constructed on a modified Bugatti Type 59 chassis sourced from Ray Jones, and registered with the Bugatti Owner’s Club with chassis number BC128, the car is powered by an original Type 57 engine, number 453, which is now fitted with Roots type supercharger and dry sump lubrication system. The car was designed, manufactured, and engineered by experts who were intimately familiar with Bugattis of the period, including Dave Holls, who styled the car. Holls worked as an automobile designer at General Motors for nearly forty years, eventually serving as director of design. He also founded the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance and served as its permanent chief judge, as well as an Honorary Judge at Pebble Beach from 1967 until his death in 2000. Additionally, Holls co-authored the definitive book A Century of Automotive Style: 100 Years of American Car Design. At every stage during this car’s design and construction, each decision was made w

The Type 35 is quite simply the definitive prewar Bugatti Grand Prix car. Technically sophisticated and extremely successful in racing, the Type 35 is also aesthetically stunning and a pleasure to drive even today. It is difficult to overstate just how successful the Type 35 was as a race car. In its career, it amassed over 1000 victories, winning the Grand Prix World Championship in 1926, the Targa Florio five times, and the Monaco Grand Prix three times. Consequently they are worth millions of dollars today on the rare occasions on which they are offered for sale.
The Pur Sang Bugattis (and Alfa Romeos) are fascinating and beautifully wrought cars that are crafted to accurately recreate the experience of some of the most legendary racing cars of all time. The company describes their facility as an atelier, and a careful examination of the automobiles they produce, as well as the manner in which they produce them, demonstrates that that term is entirely appropriate. The company emerged from the restoration shop of Jorge Anadón in Argentina, who restored genuine prewar Bugattis but lamented the fact that he would never be able to own one himself. While he had one such car apart for

Unregistered
Engine n° 417
- Offbeat history
- Only known survivor of former version of 'Gangloff streamlined saloon'
- Prestigious model
Chassis 57579 was assembled in August 1937 and assigned to W, the code-name for Wiederkehr - the name of the company in Colmar that Gangloff took over in 1930. The Bugatti factory's Delivery Register reveals that 'on 8 September 1937, chassis 57579/engine 417 was conveyed by road, driven by employee Paul, to Gangloff in Colmar' for bodywork. The word Salon appears on the document, suggesting the factory hoped the car would be finished in time for the Salon de l'Automobile (Paris Motor Show) that opened on 7 October 1937. It is impossible to know if the car was displayed at the Salon or even if it was shown outside the Grand Palais where the Salon was held. A note in the factory's monthly Sales Register reads: '8 September 1937, chassis 57579 - Colmar Stock.' A second mention of the vehicle can be found in the Delivery Register on 17 November 1937: '57579-417 C.I. route Peigues.' This confirms that the vehicle was a 'Conduite Intérieure' (four-door saloon) and must have been made by Gangloff - Bugatti did not build any saloons in 1937.
The Sales Register also records that, 'on 24 March 1938, the Bugatti saloon, chassis 57579/417, was sold to Moreau-Lanez, price FF70,000.' The vehicle was described as 'ex-demonstration M. Peigues.' The Delivery Register reveals that, on the same day, the vehicle was taken by road to 'Moreau et Cie': a reference to R. Moreau-Auto Garage, Bugatti dealers in Sainte-Savine, a suburb of Troyes (they were also agents for Fiat, George Irat, La Buire and Mathis). Moreau sold several Bugattis - notably to top-brass from the local hosiery trade. Lanez was the name of the buyer: a director of the Dienville flour mill a few miles east of Troyes.
Jean Lanez (1897-1944)
Jean Lanez was born on 10 July 1897 in Bellevue, just outside Paris. His father was on the board of the famous Au Bon Marché department-store. After a brilliant school career at the Lycée Stanislas in Paris, Jean Lanez was in England when war broke out in 1914. He returned home and, after lying about his age (he was 17), joined the 26th Infantry Battalion in Vincennes. By 22 September 1914 he was at the Front. On 15 July 1915 he became the youngest Sub-Lieutenant in the French Army. On 12 September 1917 he acquired his pilot's licence and was transferred to S.P.A.D. 87 squadron as Lieutenant Commander. Official records show he shot down seven enemy planes. By the end of the war he had been wounded three times, earned five mentions in despatches, and received the Légion d'Honneur. All this at just 21!
Four years later he was appointed director of the Brisson-Dauthel flour mill at Dienville near Brienne-le-Château, and moved to southern Champagne. In 1922 he was made second-in-command to Monsieur Brisson, and acquired the Château de Dienville, a large residence whose grounds extended south towards the mill. In 1934 modern silos were erected and in 1935 Jean Lanez began constructing the current mill. By 1939 the Moulins de Dienville were among the most modern factories in France, with their own railway-siding for loading. The factory was a pioneering exporter to Egypt and neighbouring countries.
After the outbreak of World War II Jean Lanez refused to avail himself of his Director's status to remain at the mill. He became a member of the Resistance and was tasked by Commandant Montcalm with organizing supplies for his sector. Lanez was head of the Piney-Brienne Sector when he was arrested on 12 January 1944. He was held for 40 days in Troyes Prison on Rue Hennequin, then transferred to Châlons on 7 April 1944 and later to Compiègne before being sent to Auschwitz and Buchenwald. At Flossenbürg concentration camp Lanez was reunited with Jean Hoppenot, an old comrade-in-arms. After refusing to work in an armaments factory, the two men were sentenced to hard labour and worked to the brink of exhaustion. Jean Lanez died on 15 January 1945, a few days after being brutally beaten. He was survived by his widow, son (Claude) and two daughters (Jacqueline and Françoise).
sources: André Beury: Souvenirs Familiaux; Le Petit Troyen (20 June 1945)
Resold in Paris in 1946 - Abandoned in Montrouge in the mid-1950s
The Bugatti 'Streamlined Saloon' was officially re-sold a year after Jean Lanez's death, and registered in the Seine département on 11 July 1946 with the number-plate 3135 RP 3. Its new (unidentified) owner kept it for two years. On 2 July 1948 it was acquired by another Paris buyer then, on 21 April 1949, transferred to the neighbouring Seine-et-Oise département in the name of Jacques Dupont of Etang-la-Ville, with the registration number 4817 YD 1.
On 24 May 1951 the car was sold to Georges de Changy, an engineer domiciled at 43 rue Paul-Vaillant-Couturier in Clamart, a Paris suburb, with number-plates 4723 AG 75. Jean-Baptiste Lefebvre, a friend of the Bugatti's owner (and fellow-engineer), remembers using the (black) car in 1955. The vehicle still retains its Paris number-plates, 64 years on - the car's final owner never got around to changing them!
On 26 July 1955 the Bugatti was officially registered in the name of Pierre Proust, whose garage in Montrouge (41 rue Racine) specialized in Bugattis. Shortly afterwards Henri Novo, who had been working at the Proust garage for many years, rented a yard on nearby Avenue de la République from the father of the French rally-driver René Metge. He used it to store cars - including over a dozen Bugattis - for himself and his boss. It was here, in what amounted to a Bugatti Cemetery, that the Gangloff 57579 saloon ended its days.
The Ventoux Coach chassis 57659 - Source of the Bodywork
On Avenue de la République, Jean Lanez's old car rubbed shoulders with a Ventoux Coach chassis 57659 that had been acquired as new in May 1938 by Gaston Garcin, an Amiens industrialist who owned several Bugattis before World War II (his paper business on Rue des Sergents existed until the 1950s). In April 1952 this Ventoux Coach was sold to another Amiens businessman, called Sarrazin, who ran a household goods store on Rue Duméril. In 1955 it took part in the Rallye des Routes du Nord - having had just two owners since 1938, the car still looked good. The co-pilot was Lucien Guichard, an Amiens garage-owner based in the city's St-Maurice district. The photo of the Bugatti was taken in the snow outside the Parc des Expositions in Lille, at the start of the two-day rally held on 12/13 February 1955. The Ventoux Coach (numbered 1) pulled out during the seven-lap speed trial at the circuit in Cambrai. Just 56 of the 116 entrants completed the rally.
A few years later the Ventoux 57659 also ended up in Novo's yard in Montrouge, where cars were left to decay or used as a source of spare parts for other Bugattis that could be salvaged. The Ventoux lost its engine and wheels; the bonnet was set aside, and some of its parts may have been used for the Type 57 Sport Henri Novo had built in the early 1980s.
The Ventoux 57659, identified by its 610 AN 80 number-plate, appears on a melancholy photograph taken on Pierre Proust's premises in Montrouge in the late 1950s. It must have provided the bodywork currently on chassis 57579, bought by Jacques Baillon, a haulage operator from Niort, on 28 August 1964. He registered it in the Deux-Sèvres département, acquired fresh number-plates (646 FR 79) and, for the next fifty years, it was kept in one of the barns on his estate.
Examination of the vehicle
An examination of the vehicle leaves no doubt as to its identity, as the engine and rear axle bear the numbers 57579/417. Further supporting evidence is provided by the 4723 AG 75 number-plates still on the car. The Ventoux body number 86 cannot come from the 57579 (the Gangloff saloon shown in our photos) but, instead, corresponds to the Bugatti Ventoux Coach chassis 57659/474 assembled on 18 May 1938 (Coach chassis 57706, assembled on 5 July 1938, is numbered 92).
So Jean Lanez's Bugatti has survived, albeit with a more traditional appearance than that of a very rare Gangloff streamlined saloon. Its new owner can choose either to retain the Bugatti Ventoux with body number 86; or to give renewed form to what is potentially the only Gangloff streamlined saloon from 1937.
The car's original design can be attributed to Gangloff in Colmar, who built very few saloons in 1936/7: just eight in 1936 and 23 in 1937. Only a small percentage of these were streamlined, and none seem to have survived. Of the streamlined designs from 1936, chassis 57476 was dismantled a few years ago; 57579 was one of the few from 1937 designed with the spare-wheel visible to the rear.

Spanish title
- Original streamlined coachwork by Gangloff
- Prestigious owners
- Powerful model
Chassis 44784 was assembled in the Bugatti factory in November 1928, and the original engine, n° 544, left the workshop on 14 November 1928. Fifty engines were produced during that month, the last one was number 571.
The factory's monthly sales register shows that chassis 44784 / engine 544 was delivered to "Christy Pangaud et Monestier", on 23 January 1929. This very important agent had a showroom at 34 rue de Sèze, in Lyon. On the original document, the letter " W " precedes the date of 23 January 1929. W is the abbreviation for Wiederkehr, the former owner of the coachbuilding firm sold to Gangloff in Switzerland in October 1930. The factory invoice register indicates a price of 48 000 FF for the chassis settled by Christy Pangaud et Monestier. It was then transported to Colmar to be bodied and the car was registered new in the Rhône department on 26 February with the number 3021 PF. The sales ledger for the Lyon dealer, Pierre Monestier, recorded this Type 44 in the list of cars sold during 1928 - 1929 : : "J Prylli 44784 Janvier 1929 Gangloff". Jean Prylli, the first owner of this Bugatti 44, was a huge motoring enthusiast and an active member of the Automobile Club du Rhône.
Jean Prylli (1891-1976)
Until he was 14, Jean Prylli lived with his parents in London, the centre for commerce at the start of the 20th century and the city where his grandfather had offices. He married in 1928 and bought his first Bugatti. He bought the car of the sale, the Gangloff 44784 saloon, the following year. He became vice-president of the Automobile Club du Rhône and vice-president of the Fédération Internationale de courses automobiles. In his role as organiser, Prylli travelled from one race to another, from the Monte-Carlo to the Lyon-Charbonnières Rally, via the hillclimb at Limonest... He ran the " Prylli " company, with factories in rue Descartes in Lyon and also in Ruy, Isère. The company made veils and tulle fabric for weddings and confectionary, using 100-year old looms. Jean Prylli was also co-director of the silk company Paul Baud. A comrade of Prylli's during WW1, Baud used the Prylli company offices in Paris to launch his silk business and Jean Prylli was his associate.
In October 1933, a short time before he was able to sell his 3-litre car, Jean Prylli became the owner of a new Bugatti, this time second-hand. This was a Type 49 sedan, ex-Vermorel, that the family remember well. It was dismantled during the war and kept until 1947. The 3-litre 44784 was subsequently passed to the Nudant garage, the Bugatti dealer in Dijon. The sales register for secondhand Monestier cars records :
" Nudant, rue Transvaal, Dijon 44 Prylli, Conduite Intérieure, 27 février 1934 " with another very precise detail from the same period : " Monet Ind . Macon 44784 Aérodynamique ".
The term " Aérodynamique " applied to a Type 44 don't appear in any other factory document in our possession for any other car of this model, even though we know that chassis 44419 had a similar body. " Aérodynamique Gangloff " is mentioned for chassis 49551, in a collection in the US with an identical design to 44784. Neither of the two characters from Dijon, Monet or Nudant, would become the vehicle's new owner. In fact, the Bugatti was registered in the Côte d'Or department on 22 January 1934. It was given the number plate 9367 QD 2 in the name of Marcel Perrin, who lived at 14 rue des Neufs Clefs in Dijon.
Soon after, the Bugatti returned to its home town and in some time around May 1934 it was registered with the number 6582 PF 5. The next owners, from the department of Rhône, remain a mystery as all police documents in the prefecture in Lyon have been destroyed.
At the start of the 1960s, the Coupé Profilé Gangloff was found with André Sirejols, the BNC specialist from the suburbs of Paris. His garage on rue Anatole France in Levallois-Perret was packed with old cycle cars and small sports cars. The car then moved to the garage of Henri Novo in Marolles-en-Hurepoix, near Montlhéry. Its next owner, Philippe Vernholes, was a hard-core member of the new Club Bugatti.
Philippe Vernholes
Born in 1929, the same as his 3-litre Bugatti, Philippe Vernholles was a very active treasurer, then secretary of the newly formed Club Bugatti France, created in 1967. He bought the car, and entrusted its mechanical restoration to the workshop of Henri Novo, who had set up in Marolles in 1970, after his expropriation from rue du Lavoir in Vitry-sur-Seine. The engine was serviced and tuned by Novo. The rolling chassis was transported by road from the outskirts of Paris to Clamency, in Nièvre, where it would rediscover its streamlined Gangloff coachwork. The renowned coachbuilder Jean-Paul Monceau, whose family business went back to 1852, took himself to the Novo garage to find the streamlined body, and so the restoration project began. J.P Monceau recalls that the body " fell " perfectly onto the chassis without needing any adaptation - proof, if any was needed, that the two had long been a pair. It was necessary, however, to replace the wings that were no longer the original ones and had given way to some rather unsightly motorcycle wings. Large wings inspired by those on the streamlined Type 50T of October 1932 were adapted and found to be close to the original versions. They were then built out of sheets of steel. The original bonnet was also with the car. Inside, a dark green fabric was used for the seats and the roof. The rear trunk, missing, was fabricated and lined in similoïde. The body was painted in " Souffre Blanc ", a very light green, and " Vert Bouteille " to match the fabric of the seats.
Philippe Vernholes used his new Bugatti regularly in club rallies until 1972. It was often seen parked in front of the pharmacy of his wife Marie-Andrée, at 163, route de Saint Germain in Carrières-sur-Seine, Yvelines. With the title " Mes Autos et Moi ", here is an extract from the Club Bugatti France magazine from 1974, written by Philippe Vernholes :
" Philippe has sold his cars, it's terrible, what a sad example for the club ! This is what I hear spoken everywhere, or rather whispered. It seems to me that you need an explanation on the subject...Everyone saw me out and about in France and Europe with my 3-litre Type 44, as I travelled no less than 12,000 km in a year in it. This car went really well : in Cognac I was on the second row of the starting grid amongst the Grand Prix cars and during the racing, more than one car ran out of steam trying to keep up with me. Despite this, I have had enough of this saloon car with so much fabric and metal around my head. I want a roadster. I want to feel the wind in my hair ".
Philippe Vernholes continued his memoirs in a later edition of the Club magazine in 1976 :
" I have sold my three Ferrari, the LM, the long wheelbase TDF berlinetta and the Super America prototype, as well as my Bugatti in which I covered 15 000 km. My love for these two marques dates back a long way. In 1956, I was able to buy the cars of my dreams : A Bugatti Type 57 and a Type 49, plus a Ferrari 750 Monza and a 212 Vignale. I sold them ten years ago. "
Collection Seydoux
The Coupé Profilé Gangloff Bugatti was sold at the Pavillon Royal in Bois de Boulogne on 16 June 1972 by the auction house Ader-Picard-Tajan. The expert for the sale was Jean-Michel Cérède. With this car, the buyer started an impressive collection : Nicolas Seydoux, and his brother Michel, went on to build one of the most interesting Bugatti collections in the world, based at the garage of 56 rue Lafontaine, in Paris. The Coupé Profilé Gangloff shared this honour with a good twenty other examples of the 'Pur-Sang de Molsheim'. The car was later sold to the dealer Edgard Bensoussan, of British Motors, in 1988. Around 1993, it was exported to Switzerland, to become part of the collection of Peter Aeschliemann, in Zurich, with other Parisian Bugatti. On 7 October 1995, an auction sale in the commercial centre of Zurich included the coupé Gangloff, which didn't sell. On 28 April 2001, the car was offered in a sale organised by the famous Swiss dealer Albrecht Guggisberg, at the Oldtimer Galerie in Toffen. In 2006 the Coupé Gangloff was acquired in 2006 by the Dutch dealer Braam Ruben, before joining the garages of a Mr Puech in Spain in 2007.
Current configuration
The number on the crankcase in the car is 490, manufactured on 15 October 1928, and destined for chassis 44760 that was delivered on 22 December 1928. This car, a cabriolet, was also on the road in Lyon as it was sold second-hand on 17 October 1933 in Garcin, quai St-Clair in Lyon, and belonged to Mr Marmonnier, of avenue de Saxe. We know that 44784 spent time in Lyon again in May 1934, so we can assume that the two cars would become acquainted, if they hadn't done so already. The fact that the engine from 44760, a Lyon car, found itself in the chassis of the vehicle with body 44784 reinforces the theory that the chassis is linked historically with 44784.
The rear axle number 77 (12x50) belongs to one of the first Type 44s assembled around 1927. The gearbox and its cover numbered 270 belongs to a 3-litre car built around May 1928, with a series number that corresponds to around 44520. The chassis frame 683 corresponds fairly well to a vehicle with mechanical elements numbered 270. The original identity of the frame for body 44784 could be close to that of 44520.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the body of the vehicle presented for sale is one of the rare Gangloff creations in the " Carrosseries Aérodynamiques " line. An almost identical body on a Type 49 chassis was delivered to Lyon in 1933. It was recorded in the Lyon dealer's book as " Gangloff. Conduite Intérieure Aérodynamique. Châssis 49551 ". This car still exists, in a collection in the United States.
Some argue that these bodies were later, clumsy adaptations on chassis that were not the correct model. Documents in our possession prove otherwise. One other Type 44 at least, was given an Aérodynamique saloon body by Gangloff, and had the chassis number 44419. It was delivered to Geoffroy frères, the Bugatti agent in Troyes, in April 1928, with the addition of " W " for Gangloff.
A photo published here of this car shows that the body of 44784 results from a design by Gangloff, built as part of a limited series. The other car bodied by Gangloff leaves us to suppose that this streamlined design could have been an idea of Gangloff's from 1928. The streamlined Bugatti Type 44 presented in the sale today is the only surviving example on this type of chassis, from a very small series of streamlined cars by Gangloff of Colmar that would have been built from 1928.
Pierre-Yves Laugier

French title
Engine n° 63
- One of the most desirable Bugatti models
- Used by Malcolm Campbell in the TT 1928
- Matching numbers and body
- Extremely rare in this condition and with this history
- Ex-Malcolm Campbell 1928 Tourist Trophy - ex-WM Faulkner Essex Six Hours
When Bugatti presented its new 2.3-litre Grand Sport model to the press in March 1927, it boasted performance no other car could match. This brilliant torpedo-bodied car had a special chassis with a 2.97 m wheelbase, curved like the Grand Prix Bugattis, and with the Type 35B engine. Sales of the first Type 43s were contemporary with the rare, early Type 35B model, and between 1927 and 1930, exactly 160 examples left the workshops. Amongst the first cars produced, in March 1927, were four examples ordered by the London agent, Colonel Sorel, for his showroom " Bugatti Automobiles " on the Brixton Road in London. " The Autocar " on 18 March 1927 suggested that " Bugatti will offer its clientèle a genuine Sports car, fitted with a supercharger - equipment reserved for racing cars until now ! The car is an evolution of the model that won the Targa Florio in 1926 ". In his article, the English journalist revealed that he had travelled to Molsheim where Ettore Bugatti had taken him for a test drive in the Alsace countryside. " Le Patron " stopped the engine, engaged fourth gear and pressed the starter...The car proceeded to accelerate rapidly to 140 km/h, without a change of gear. The test drive continued through the foothills of the Vosges mountains, crossing scarcely passable roads that showed all the qualities of the suspension. This article is believed to have been written by the journalist WF Bradley, the magazine's European correspondent and Ettore Bugatti's future biographer.
PRODUCTION OF THE TYPE 43
In December 1926, the first engines left the assembly workshop and seven cars were built before the end of the year. By the spring of 1927, production had settled at 7 - 10 cars a month, with some 80 cars - half the total production - on the road by the end of 1927.In 1928, over 60 examples were built, with the last 15 leaving the workshop before April 1929. The sales did not follow such a straight line, with unsold examples taking up space in the factory workshops from 1930. However, the model sold very well, early in 1927.
THE PRICES
The sale price of the Type 43 was very high, although it never corresponded to the listed price in the catalogue of 165 000 francs. In 1927, examples of the Type 43 GS were delivered to the Paris showroom for 107 500 francs each, and the cost to the New York dealer was 115 484 francs. For the Brixton Road depot, the price was 82 280 francs and even fell to 76 266 francs at the start of 1928, while the Italian agent paid 90 000 francs and a private French client 97 500 francs.
FACTORY DELIVERIES
The car on offer, châssis 43171, is noted in the monthly Sales Register :
" 28/1. W. Sorel. G .S. 43171. 63. 11.4.28 " The cars with chassis numbers 43168 to 43171 are all recorded with "W. Sorel 28/1", with the number undoubtedly referring to the order date. For these same cars, the invoices are noted with the date 27/04/1928.To determine whether the Bugatti chassis 43171 corresponds to that driven by Captain Malcolm Campbell in the Tourist Trophy on 18 August 1928, as indicated by British historians, it is necessary to consult the list of Bugatti Type 43s delivered to Great Britain before this date, to study their histories and eliminate those already assigned an owner or not available.
THE TYPE 43 BUGATTIS DELIVERED TO ENGLAND IN 1927-1928
From the early 1920s, the market for Bugatti was very strong in England, and the agent Colonel Sorel of Brixton Road covered a vast market that extended as far as Australia. Chassis 43169 crossed the Channel and was delivered in January 1928. There were numerous cars of this marque already competing on English circuits, open-road racing having been banned soon after the 1903 Paris-Madrid race. Brooklands, the world's first purpose built speed circuit, was opened in 1907.
THE FIVE TYPE 43S DELIVERED IN 1927
The London depot run by W. Sorel was quick to order one of the first examples of the Type 43 Grand Sport, in April 1927, chassis 43159/engine 10. In August and September of the same year, four other Type 43s were imported :
- 43188/26 on 04/08/1927 for Lord Howe (registration YT 8241).
- 43189/29 on the same date (registration KO 5128).
- 43160/30 on 23/09/1927 (registration YV 2681)
- 43161/37 on 23/09/1927 (registration GJ 53)
THE FIVE TYPE 43 GSS DELIVERED AT THE START OF THE 1928 SEASON
Two cars were delivered to Sorel at the end of January 1928 each costing 76 266 francs :
- 43170 /52 was registered in Surrey in April 1928 (PH 9397)
- 43168/65 was registered in Essex in April 1928 (PN 1095)
There are invoices for three other vehicles on 27 April 1928, for the same price of 76 266 francs :
- 43171 /63 was delivered on 11 avril (the invoice arrived after the speedy delivery which was fairly uncommon !)
- 43178 /59 delivered on 23 May
- 43179 /76 also delivered on 23 May
It has been said that Lord Howe first raced his 2.3-litre car, chassis 43188, in the Essex Six Hours at Brooklands on 12 May 1928. In this same race, Malcolm Campbell also drove a Type 43, which was a new car : chassis 43171 in the sale. Clearly, the car used by Campbell to start his racing season on 12 May 1928, could not have been either 43178 or 43179, both delivered ten days after that date. It is also clear that he drove the same car in the Tourist Trophy in August of that same year. Photos exist of 43189, 43168 and 43170 (Howe's test car), with their specific features and respective registration plates, showing that they could not be the car used by Campbell in the 1928 TT. This only leaves just one contender, chassis 43171, to be the 2.3-litre Bugatti of the World Speed Record Holder, Malcolm Campbell. This is the car that he would have raced and tested on the circuit at Brooklands, where his garage "Brooklands Motor Co" was situated.
MALCOLM CAMPBELL
At the start of 1928, Malcolm Campbell had just beaten the World Speed Record at Daytona Beach in Florida. On 19 February, at the wheel of his Bluebird, fitted with a new 900 bhp engine, he set the record at 332.992 km/h.
He went on to beat this record every year in Florida between 1931 and 1935. In February 1931 his Bluebird II reached 395 km/h, a record that rose to 482 km/h by September 1935.
Between these attempts, he regularly took to the wheel of his Bugatti to compete in race or sporting categories, often in the 1500cc class. Campbell's private residence at this time was Byron House, 7-9 St James' Street SW1.
COMPETITIVE EVENTS DURING 1928
- The Essex Six Hours
Two Type 43s were entered for the inaugural Essex Six Hour race on 12 May 1928. They were described as " the fastest supercharged four-seater torpedos entered, along with Miller's Mercedes ". The Bugatti set such high speeds that they were the first to return to the pits to fold down their hoods. Lord Howe retired early with ignition trouble, and Campbell lost a considerable amount of time having a wheel changed. Subsequent problems with fuel pressure forced him to retire after hour hours. This is believed to be the first race on English soil for 43171.
- The R.A.C Tourist Trophy
The R.A.C Tourist Trophy took place on 18 August 1928 on the circuit at Ards, near Belfast. Lord Howe was there with his two Type 43 Bugattis : the vehicle registered PH 9397(43170) used for testing and 43188 (YT 8241) which took part in the race with the number 50.
Malcolm Campbell's Bugatti appears not to have had number plates, and was entered with the race number 49. All the other English Type 43s were fitted with number plates from their first outings. As stated later, 43171 was registered for the first time in 1931, which is a plausible theory if this was a car kept by a garage. The third Type 43 torpedo, number 48, was entered by Léo d'Erlanger and driven by Louis Dutilleux, from the factory. During the re-fuelling of Campbell's 2.3-litre car, the fuel tank caught fire and exploded soon after. The back of the car was burnt and badly damaged, along with the aluminium wheels. The officials and mechanics could do nothing to stop the fire, as the heat was too intense. This car was the only example with a tail rear, truncated to hold a spare wheel vertically. This arrangement is clearly visible in certain photos of the rear at the time of the fire. It appears that the steel strut survived the disaster, as the current rear axle of the car, chassis 43171, is a Type 44, but the strut's number 61 corresponds to the number of the original axle.
The TT race also proved disastrous for the other two Type 43s : Lord Howe's car was in the lead, travelling at close to 160 km/h when its fuel tank caught fire, forcing the driver to abandon the race.Dutilleux was driving a car sent by Molsheim to Léo d'Erlanger, the baron and banker involved in the London Bugatti agency. This car's fuel tank also caught fire, and having succeeded in extinguishing the flames, the driver valiantly carried on and finished in ninth place. Malcolm Campbell competed in other races during 1929, but not in his Type 43.
THE OTHER CONTENDERS
It has been stated that the Bugatti Type 43 of G. Eyston in the 1929 Irish Grand Prix was 43171. This is not the case as a photo taken during the race shows clearly that this was YT 8241 (43188). This same car was used by Howe and Campbell in the Brooklands J.C.C. in May 1930.Moreover, it has also been claimed that 43189 could have been Campbell's car, since traces of a fire were found during its restoration. We can confirm today that 43189 was the car driven by John Field in the Irish GP at Phoenix Park in Dublin in July 1929. It caught fire during re-fuelling. Another car, chassis 43154, has also laid claim to being Campbell's car in 1928, but wasn't in fact imported from France until 1930 ! Finally, an advert appeared in " The Motor " on 21 April 1931 stating :
" BROOKLANDS MOTOR CO offers Bugatti late 1929, 2.000- 3.000 cc model, ready for road or track ; this car is capable of 110 m.p.h., and was raced by Sir Malcolm Campbell, cost over £ 1.000, our price £ 375. Exchanges, deferred. 414 Euston Rd. N.W.1 " Although this would make the car younger, as it was not the year it was built, the description and the period of sale corresponds to the re-circulation of 43171.
WM FAULKNER
WM Faulkner was living at Corner Cottage in Thames Ditton, Surrey, at this time. It seems the Bugatti was registered for the first time in his name, on 7 October 1931, given the number PJ 679. Faulkner took part in a BARC meeting, the third " Mountain Handicap " at Brooklands in August 1931. On the fourth lap, he hit the barriers at Fork, and retired after doing the same again on the 10th lap. At the Easter meeting in 1932, he won the " Norfolk Lightning Mountain Handicap " on the same circuit. The car, in blue, had been relieved of its wings, headlights and windscreen for the occasion. The exhaust had been redirected onto the passenger side, away from the underneath the car. A photograph of Faulkner at the Chalfont Hillclimb held at St Peter by Bugatti owners on 21 May 1932, shows the car in its original configuration, with the spare wheel on the driver's side. It is not possible to make out if there is a cut away section on the door, as there was for the TT. The number plate PJ 679 is clearly visible. The car's history during 1933 is unclear, but it is possible that it was stored in the garages of Leslie Bachelier from Wimbledon (Wimbledon Engineering Company). Bachelier had fallen under the spell of his first Type 43 in 1929, chassis 43161/ 37 (registered GJ 53), which he kept for four years. He also owned 43168 in 1934, 43171 in 1932 and in 1936, 43179 in 1933 and 1935 and 43189. He looked after many other Bugattis for clients like Peter Hampton.
CWP HAMPTON
In the May 1937 edition of Bugantics, CWP Hampton, a great Bugatti enthusiast, told the story of buying this car from Bachelier in February 1934. Bachelier took him on a high-speed test-drive in the ex-Campbell Type 43. Hampton was won over and bought the car, having resisted the temptation some two years earlier to buy an identical car, unable at that point to afford it. In this 1937 article, Hampton mentioned that the car, in original condition, reached a speed of 108 mph effortlessly, on damp roads, before the ignition packed up. After covering 1,000 km, the body was restored and repainted blue, at which time it was also given a new interior and hood. The original dashboard was replaced, and it is likely that Hampton had a more modern one made with multiple dials. The gearbox and axle pinions were replaced and the body was given extended wings in the style of a Type 55 Roadster. A photo from 1934, shows the cut-away section on the driver's side door, not dating from its early racing period, but commissioned by Hampton, as he related in " Motor Sport " in March 1943. In the " JCC High Speed Trial " on 30 June 1945 at Brooklands, Hampton won his class. His best result was a class win in the JCC meeting at Donington, in August of the same year. The car was maintained by Bachelier, who fitted a more powerful Zenith carburettor in May 1935, which increased the compression ratio and transformed the performance of the 2.3-litre engine. Having covered more than 16,000 km at the wheel of this car, Hampton sold it in 1936 to Bachelier, when he took possession of his dream car, a Type 55 roadster. The history of the car is unknown between 1936 up to the start of the war, when it was bought by Brian Finglass.
THE POST-WAR PERIOD IN ENGLAND
The car's logbook dated 1947 has survived. It shows PJ 679 as the registration number, and 1 October 1931 as the date it was first registered. It provides us with valuable information on the successive owners from this period :
These owners are noted below in bold. Some of these dates don't correspond to the purchase dates but the date the car was road registered. Two owners are missing from this list and have been added here with comments.
- 04/07/1947 - Brian Finglass, 2 Pembridge Mews, Notting Hill Gate London W 11. It is very likely that Finglass bought the car just before or at the outset of the war, as it is known that he owned other Bugatti including a Type 51 around 1943. The date of 8 July 1947 is probably the date he sold it, having registered it just before the sale.
- 08/07/1947 - Humphrey Owen, J, St Ann's Vicarage, Wandsworth, London SW 18.
- 24/10/1947 - William Walter Deane, 1A Grenville Place, London SW 7.
- 30/06/1948 - Chipstead Motors Ltd, 8 Gaspar Mews, Courtfield Gardens, SW 5.
- 10/09/1948 - William Arthur Mitchell, Dormer's Farm, Bletchingley, Surrey.
- 24/10/1969 - Dr James Rodger Mirrey, Leachim Heights Redhill Common, Surrey.
In addition, the Bugatti was sold in 1959 to KJ Richardson, of Burrows Croft, Burrows Cross, Gomshall, Surrey, then sold in October 1960 to Dr JR Mirrey. In fact, in a reply to a letter from an American enthusiast, at the start of November 1960, Richardson stated that he had just sold his car on 30 October for the sum of £600. He said it was completely original apart from a radiator, chrome front axle, a larger than standard fuel tank and a modified dashboard. He said that he had restored the engine, chassis, axles and brakes. The bodywork had been stripped and primed.Between 1963 and 1969, Dr Mirrey completed the work started by Richardson, not registering the car in his name until it was ready to use, in 1969. Mirrey entrusted the task to a local garage "Plaistow Garage Ltd" in Lingfield, Surrey, run by the engineer David Brown, who checked over all mechanical elements, restored the underneath of the body and built a new firewall and mahogany dashboard. The crankshaft was serviced by David Woods, a specialist from Belfast, and the chassis was checked by David Brown who was restoring his own Type 43 at that time.
Subsequently, around October 1982, the car was bought by Mr G Perfect who had replied to an advertisement placed by Mirrey in Motorsport in July 1982. He informed the BOC of this transaction.
- 05/07/1983 - Geoffrey William Perfect, Glen More, Penn, Bucks.
A few years after buying the car, Geoffrey Perfect entrusted its maintenance to the workshop " AB Price Ltd " in Studley, Warwickshire, who carried out whatever work was needed between 1989 and 1991, including a new radiator core and engine blocks. Between 1993 and 1995, the owner decided to have a thorough restoration carried out by the specialist Ivan Dutton. The chassis was straightened, crankcase repaired and a new fuel tank made. Cosmetically, the rear and underneath of the body were rebuilt to the original specification.
In the autumn of 1995, during the restoration, the car was sold to Nicolaus Springer. He continued with the work, which included fitting the current dashboard. Over £100,000 was spent on completely overhauling the car, and the work was finished in the summer of 1997. In August 2000, the car was advertised for sale by the Swiss dealer Lukas Huni, and was acquired by the current owner in 2001.
INSPECTION OF THE CAR
In May 2014, we were able to carry out a detailed inspection of this Bugatti. This revealed that practically all of the mechanical components that weren't worn were original, and belonged to the car, chassis 43171 with engine 63.
The chassis frame is original and is engraved, on the reverse, as expected, with the number 62. The strut has, on the upper face, the number of the original axle 61. The rear axle is numbered 475.The rear axle ratio, engraved on the upper face of the drive axle-casing, is 12 x 50, which is correct for a Type 44 tourer. The ratio set by Dutton is 14 x 54. This could be, in all probability, the axle from the car chassis 44738 with engine 475, delivered to W. Sorel on 7 December 1928. In this case, this part would not have been fitted into the car until after a few years of use in the 3-litre, which would then have been partially dismantled for spare parts. It is unlikely that this axle would have been in the 43 during the time that Campbell drove it, unless 44738 was delivered to him new. The gearbox body and its cover are engraved with 63.
ENGINE NUMBER 63
This engine was assembled in the factory on 25 October 1927, according to production records for the Type 43 engines. The lower crankcase bears the engine number 63 on the front left part. The chassis number 43171 is engraved in the correct factory style on the rear left part. Both crankcases have the same assembly number 14S. They form a pair and are original to 43171. The front sides of the camshaft cover and block are engraved with the number 63.
The supercharger is numbered 66, and is certainly the original one.
The front axle is the correct model, but with no number visible, having undoubtedly been polished and chromed several times where the number was always engraved more finely than on other parts. The dashboard is correct for the model. It has been replaced several times throughout the car's life, according to the tastes of successive owners. The two firewalls are recent. The chassis plate dates from the 1960s. The car's pointed rear end, a large part of the under body and the bonnet are recent while the middle section of the body is much older. The wheels are modern and correspond to the one-piece model from 1930.
CONCLUSION
The Bugatti Type 43 has always been a favourite with enthusiasts, specialists and historians. The great Hugh Conway was a huge fan and owned two. This model effectively combined all the qualities desired of a Bugatti : its competition engine derived directly from the multiple race-winning Type 35B, a custom built curved chassis with 2.97m wheelbase, and a 3-4 seater Grand Sport body with hood and excellent suspension that made it an ideal car for rallies and long distances.T his is a rare model, making it even more desirable. Of the 15 cars delivered to England in 1927 and 1928, just eight have survived, and of these, only three have retained their original engine : 43159, 43171 and 43179, which has had the lower crankcase replaced. The cars with chassis numbers 43160 - 43169 - 43214 - 43238 and 43239 lost their original engines at some point during their racing career or following accidents. In its youth, chassis 43171 enjoyed the company of England's finest drivers: Sir Malcolm Campbell and Lord Howe, and was used by Campbell in the 1928 TT. Of all the contenders for this title, this is the only one for which there is no negative argument. By a process of elimination from a small list of cars, this is the only car to remain in the historian's spotlight. The car has lived through the creation of the Bugatti Owners Club in 1929, took part in hillclimb events at Chalfont, Prescott, Shelsley and other famous British trials. It experienced Brooklands' finest hour through to the circuit's closure in 1939. Preserved during the hostilities, probably in the careful ownership of Brian Finglass, and later by other genuine enthusiasts who each maintained and undertook restoration work, through to the last input by renowned specialist Ivan Dutton. This rare jewel has been appreciated by all those who have owned it. The car as offered in the sale today, is in almost totally original mechanical condition, retaining the original chassis, the front part of the body and gearbox. This is extremely rare for a model that was used competitively throughout the pre-war years. It is one of the most original examples of the Type 43 Bugatti, offered with known history and highly valuable provenance.
Pierre-Yves Laugier

French registration
- Very realistic and correct replica of an iconic model
- Accepted at Bugatti rallies
- French registration
This car is a replica of the 1929 Bugatti 35B (with the 2.3 liter supercharged engine), produced in 1999 by Pur Sang Argentina, a well-known and respected specialist in this field. Since the car arrived in Europe, it received many improvements on the front axle, the radiator and Scintilla magneto, in order to make the replication more accurate. A starter has been installed, and invoices reflect these transactions, with the total spent exceeding 50,000 Swiss francs. In December 2014, a service was carried out which included the replacement of the ignition harness and spark plugs, oil changes, overhaul of the supercharger and the starter, for a bill of € 3,800.
The previous owner has driven this car extensively, attending several events and rallies in Italy, Greece, southern France, Switzerland... He has covered more than 20,000 km at the wheel of this car, equipped with its four mudguards, easy to remove, to adapt to all kinds of events. The owner obtained a French registration of a Bugatti Type 38. This beautiful car is will offer to its next owner the sensations of the mythical Bugatti 35B, at one-tenth the price!

French collector title
- Exceptional history
- Re-built to its original configuration
- Winner of the first Lyon-Charbonnières Rally
The first Parisian Bugatti Type 55s
Towards the end of 1931, the Parisian Bugatti agent Dominique Lamberjack junior, the friend and contemporary of Jean Bugatti, asked the factory for the semi-exclusive rights to all 2.3-litre Type 55 chassis delivered to the capital. Every second chassis would be delivered to Lamberjack, with the others going directly from the factory to private clients. For a deposit of 500 000 francs, he reserved for himself what he thought would be an attractive market for the Alsatian marque's new flagship model : " The Super Sport twin cam ".
Lamberjack confided to the author that in March 1932, as he had not taken delivery of any chassis, despite the first five clients having received their cars, he called the factory and was told by the accountant that Ettore Bugatti, as soon as he'd got the money in his pocket, had gone to an auction sale and squandered nearly all of it on tapestries. The accounts were back in order by the end of March 1932... Lamberjack was a close friend of Robert de Prandières, the dynamic director of the coachbuilding firm Vanvooren in Courbevoie. They agreed between themselves that the majority of the Bugatti chassis delivered to the Lamberjack dealership of 68 rue Bayen would be dispatched to rue Pierre Lhomme in Courbevoie to be bodied. Of the six Bugatti Type 55 chassis delivered to Paris, five were bodied by Vanvooren and one by Figoni. No other Parisian workshop would lay their hands on one of these rare Super Sport Type 55s.
CHASSIS 55204, CABRIOLET VANVOOREN TWO SEATER
I. Life in Paris with Vladimir de Constantinovitch (1879 - 1942 ?)
Chassis 55204 was the first of five chassis of this new model ordered and paid for by Lamberjack between March and November 1932. The order appears to have been dated 8 February 1932. The chassis was loaded and transported by train from the factory on 3 March 1932 with a Type 49 faux-cabriolet destined for the showroom. 55204 was billed to " Lamberjack fils - Paris " for 72 000 francs. The four other chassis of the same model destined for Lamberjack were all the same price. We have photos of these four cars, all bodied by Vanvooren. As arranged with Prandières, 55204 was sent to the Vanvooren workshop in Courbevoie to be given a very pretty two-seater cabriolet body. We are not certain of the name of the first owner, but we know that he lived in Paris because the original registration number for the car was 9762 RF 5 , corresponding to the department of Seine in spring 1932. However, cross-checking has allowed us to ascertain that the car belonged to an enthusiast known as " The Admiral ", as told by Lamberjack Jr to the owner from Burgundy in 1946. The same Lamberjack confided to us in 1990 that one of his clients was the son of General de Constantinovitch, known as " The Admiral ", who lived on Boulevard Haussmann.
Vladimir de Constantinovitch was born in Trieste in June or July 1879. His father, the General Alexandre de Constantinovitch, related to the Obrenovic dynasty, was in charge of the Serbian Royal Guard. His marriage to a wealthy Serbian by the name of Opuich made large areas of Serbia available to him, as well as a family home in Trieste. Vladimir fought in the Legion in France during the 1914 conflict. Assigned to the air force in September 1916, he became naturalized in France on 4 September as a second lieutenant in the aviation school in Pau. He fought in the 73 Spa squadron with his friend Albert Deullin. In the staff records for the Air Ministry in 1916, Vladimir's contacts in case of an accident were listed as a friend in Paris and Her Majesty, the Queen of Italy...who was the sister-in-law of his sister Nathalie !
Vladimir had graduated from the military school in Belgrade. He married a wealthy American, Anne Heyward Cutting, from New York, whose family had made their fortune in the railroad business. Through his love for her, he converted to Protestantism. Following the premature death of his wife in November 1921, he remarried a French woman from the North, and they moved between her apartment at 170 boulevard Haussmann and his château " La Dûne aux Loups " in la Somme, and le Touquet Paris - Plage.
Vladimir conscientiously frittered away the family fortune, aided by his mistresses, Bugatti (37A, 57C) Hispano (32CV 10403 and a Type Sport 12056). Constantinovitch bought his cars new, as evidenced in the Hispano and Bugatti sales registers. It is logical to assume that he bought chassis 55204 new and had the car transported to Courbevoie by his friend Lamberjack. The subsequent owner recalls that our 55 was originally grey with burgundy stripes. At the time it was sold to him, Lamberjack spoke of " The Admiral " as the previous owner of the car.
II. A racing life with Pierre Daligand (1907 - 1987)
The cabriolet 55204 arrived in Mâcon at the start of summer 1946.
It was driven around on the garage plates 6009 W 5 for at least one or two months. The new owner was a personality from the motoring world in Lyon. Pierre Daligand, was a dental surgeon and also the manager of the Renault dealership Garage Continental in Mâcon. He started racing motorcycles with the Moto Club Lyonnais (M.C.L.) in 1929, having some success that year on a Magnat-Debon 350 cm3 . In 1932 he took part in various races including at the Ain circuit on a Motosacoche 500 cm3 . It was not until 1936 that he turned his hand to racing motor cars, both on the circuit and in rallies. The year 1936 marked the start of his Bugatti period, driving in turn a Type 37, a 43 roadster, a faux-cabriolet Type 49 followed by a Ventoux.
- The IXe Rallye des Alpes Françaises (from 12 to 15 July 1946)
Our car took part in this rally, the first held in France after the war. Covering 3 000 to 4 000 km, the trial crossed the French Alps to Germany, travelling through Italy, Switzerland, Yugoslavia and Austria. The difficulty of the course and the time restrictions meant that few competitors were able to finish having kept to the rules. Pierre Daligand, at the wheel of his Type 55, recorded the best time of 34.2 seconds for a start-stop trial in Annecy. The car wore the race number 80, and the number plates of his garage. It performed brilliantly until fuel-supply problems forced its retirement at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
- The first Lyon-Charbonnières Rally (From 21 to 23 March 1947)
This competition was set up by Dr. Daligand and sponsored by the eponymous Casino. With two colleagues from the M.C.L., he devised the route and the regulations, and advertised his project with the Association Sportive de l'A.C.R (Automobile Club du Rhône), adding " I am no longer involved and declare myself a competitor" !
For this new race, the dentist asked a certain Monsieur Molla, a metal worker employed at his Continental Garage, to modify the body of his Bugatti Type 55, and make aluminium panels to fit onto the wooden structure of the Vanvooren cabriolet. The central section of the metal body remained unchanged. The doors were cut down and sports wings replaced the original longer wings. The race took place in three stages in a loop :
- The first 506 km stage was Lyon-Clermont-Ferrand and back at night on difficult roads.
- The second stage was 307 km Lyon-Grenoble-Aix-les-Bains through the Porte, Cuchero and Granier passes, where snow was forecast.
- The final 312 km stage on Sunday 23 March towards Oyonnax and on to Charbonnières, with a small hillclimb en route. 51 teams arrived at the finish despite the rain, snow and nocturnal trials. Pierre Daligand won the race at the wheel of his Bugatti Type 55, and the March 1947 edition of L'Actualité Automobile produced an extensive report on the event.
- The Xe International des Alpes Rally (from 11 to 15 July 1947)
The event took place over 1 050 km, with the traditional start at the Vieux Port in Marseille and finishing at Cannes. Of the 61 competitors who lined up to start at the Vieux Port, just 27 were classified. The race was won by Gaston Descollas, the Bugatti dealer from Marseille, who was accustomed to receiving laurels at this event. He drove a different Bugatti Type 55, with racing number 112 and chassis 55201. Pierre Daligand, race number 111, was leading at the start but burst a tyre approaching a bridge which put an end to the sporting career of our car. The car was sold at the start of 1948 " to some youngsters from Beaujolais " (sic) in the words of Pierre Daligard as recounted by his son Gilles, who never put the Bugatti in their name.
III. Bernard Roche, Château de Milly
The car was sold again on 12 June 1958 and registered with the number 6271 AX 69. Bernard Roche was an eccentric character who travelled from the Rhône valley to the Dordogne, from château to château, searching for treasures. He collected Bugatti and other cars from the 1920s. In his château de Fénelon in Dordogne, he had an eight-valve Bugatti, a Type 44 and a Type 49 tucked away. He remembers the Type 55 " sold to some people from Paris, complete, with its aluminium wheels, for the sum of 150 000 old francs. " For some unknown reason, the Type 55 was only registered in his name in 1958 although the car had already been with its next owner, Monsieur Liandier, since April 1955. It must have been a rather belated case of regularisation... which the facts and photos confirm.
IV. Pierre Proust in Montrouge : exchange of registration documents between 55204/55202
From at least 1955, the cabriolet 55204 was driving around with the registration documents for the coupé 55202 and vice versa. An inspection of the ex-Michel Bouyer Type 55 faux-cabriolet Jean Bugatti in the
Mulhouse museum, and the ex-Pierre Daligand cabriolet belonging to C. Robert in 1986 leaves no room for doubt about the identity of the two vehicles. The Mulhouse car is chassis 55202, complete with its original engine and body, coupé Jean Bugatti. Just two numbers 55204 were re-engraved over the original 55202 on the engine, and the chassis plate for 55204 was screwed onto the firewall, an operation carried out to make the car conform to the registration document 55204 that Pierre Proust had put in his name on 3 July 1958 with the number 5838 HD 75. And so, both cars found themselves in Pierre Proust's garage on 41 rue Racine, a cavern dedicated to Bugatti, where Henri Novo, a defector from the Teillac garage, was in charge. We know of a photo of the coupé 55202 with the number plate 5392 CL 75. This corresponds to the registration document :" Bugatti Type 55 CI 2 places châssis 55202 ". A little later, this number and the corresponding paperwork was passed to 55204. The registration document was put in the name of Pierre Proust on 11 February 1954. Pierre Daligand remembered seeing his car " under a pile of scrap metal " in this garage during this period.
V. Maurice Liandier (1896 - 1990), Fontenay/s Bois : registration 9 April 1955
It is worth noting that the repair notes of Henri Novo told of a first intervention on the Type 55 during the period it was registered by Proust. We can deduce that Liandier had already bought the car :
- 15 January 1954 : " Type 55 Liandier, dismantled, changed the pistons, the seals to replace. ".
- Then on 25 October 1954 : " 55 Liandier, crankshaft serviced by the factory. Cylinders 60m/m5 piston height ".
Born to a father of independent means and a mother who taught art, the young Maurice, had always lived in a privileged environment. He had a string of Bugattis, from the 1920s through to his return from the Second World War, from which he returned with the Médaille Militaire and the Légion d'Honneur. He enrolled to study Fine Art but took on a career managing the fur factories for the company " C et E Chapal Frères et Cie, Teinturerie de Pelleterie et Fourrures ". His father had sold land in Montreuil, in rue Kleber, where " Chapal " had built one of its many factories, Maurice lived in Sen, at 20 boulevard du 14 juillet, near one of the five French factories and was responsible for the company's machinery. Jean Bardinon, a former pilot, had married a Chapal daughter. He was the godfather of José, Maurice Liandier's son, and the father of the great collector Pierre Bardinon. Liandier was a long-standing Bugattiste, having owned a 1924 Type 35 Grand Prix de Lyon and a Type 30 Indianapolis, before the war. Liandier kept his Type 55 for nearly ten years. It was serviced by Novo at Teillac in 1954-1955, as noted in the latter's records. Liandier took his Bugatti to his property " L' Escapado " that he bought in Chateauneuf-de-Grasse in 1962. The car was parked there next to a Type 57 with a Simca 5 coupé body.
VI. In the famous Pierre Bardinon collection
The vehicle was sold on 9 June 1965 to Pierre Bardinon, the famous French collector who, in Mas du Clos in Limousin, was a tireless collector of the most important Ferrari in the history of motor racing as well as models of key sporting marques like Bugatti. Monsieur Liandier's son has photos of the car and the invoice addressed to Pierre Bardinon. It was indeed the old Vanvooren cabriolet 55204, in its 1947 Lyon-Charbonnières configuration. The details of the transaction were noted in a letter from Bardinon to Liandier dated 29 March 1965 :
" My dear Maurice, as agreed, you will find enclosed :
1 - a cheque for 10 000 francs, representing the sum that I offered to pay you upfront and that you agreed to accept - on account of the 20 000 Francs for the total sale price of the Bugatti 55
2 - a promissory note, accepted by myself and my wife, for 5 000 francs, due on 31 December 1966.
3 - a promissory note...due on 31 December 1967.
You will want to send this car by rail - at low speed to avoid high charges, to the station at Vincennes-Fontenay. You should reserve a flatcar and to do that you will need to fill out a special form. Can I ask you to give 'les Ets Chapal, 9 rue Kléber à Montreuil' as the destination. Concerning the spare parts, I think it would be best if you send these separately by crate, to Montreuil. Before sending the car, would you please be kind enough to remove all the parts that risk being broken and put them with the spare parts you are sending by crate. Also, if possible, I would ask you please to cover the car with an old tarpaulin. "
La Bugatti 55204, tired but complete, made its way from Grasse back to Paris in the spring 1965. Pierre Bardinon subsequently asked Henri Novo to take out the twin-cam engine to put in an original, unidentified, Grand Prix car, that the mechanic was assembling for him in 1965. Since this period, the ex-55204 engine has been in the ex-Bardinon, ex-Frédéric Chandon de Briailles " Type 51 ", that is part of a French collection today. Chassis 55204, without its engine and belonging to Pierre Bardinon, remained with Novo waiting to be resurrected. This would happen 40 years later.
VII. An elite collector, Charles Robert
Robert was a regular visitor at the Novo garage, from where he bought a Type 57 chassis that had been lying about in Montrouge, during the same period as chassis 55204. We were able to examine the Type 55 in the basement of his villa in Nogent, in around 1986. The car was as it had been abandoned by Bardinon at Novo's in 1965. All the mechanical elements remained on the car: the front and rear axle and gearbox were, and still are, the original ones. The frame is undoubtedly that of 55204. The central section, in sheet metal, a remnant of the Vanvooren body, and the wood trim behind the seat, are a reminder of the handsome two-seater cabriolet that was modified by Daligand in 1947. We showed Charles Robert photos of his cabriolet in its original configuration and, quite rightly, he decided to have a body constructed with doors in the style of the 1932 coachwork. Cabriolet versions of the Bugatti Type 55 are now very rare: one bodied by Figoni, one by Gangloff, another by Billeter et Cartier and two Vanvooren cabriolets are the only other examples in collections. The remainder of the 1947 Lyon-Charbonnières aluminium body was saved by a dealer who is keeping it for the new owner... ! Charles Robert drove extensively in his Bugatti and Ferrari motor cars. With the intention of participating in various rallys with his wife, he asked Laurent Rondoni to build a powerful and reliable engine to equip 55204, finding the 55 engines lacked a little power...The renowned mechanic, in charge of the " Ventoux Moteurs " workshop in Carpentras, built a highly competitive engine, producing almost 200 bhp. During the restoration, Charles Robert spend weeks " in training ", turning up in overalls at 8 in the morning and assisting Rondoni with the work.
Jean-Luc Bonnefoy created a cabriolet body in the exact style of the 1932 model. The new engine was duly fitted and tuned by Laurent Rondoni who carried out the entire chassis-up restoration. There is no better guarantee !
Charles Robert saw the finished engine but unfortunately passed away before having the satisfaction of seeing the car scale Mont Ventoux at full speed on its first trial run.
This sublime Bugatti 55, with an exceptional history, is therefore ready to be run-in ! It is close in every respect to its original 1932 Vanvooren configuration, and asks only to take to the road for the Coupe des Alpes or the Lyon-Charbonnières Rally, where it was the first ever winner.
Pierre-Yves Laugier

French collector's title
Engine n° 342
- Prestigious marque
- Attractive, lightweight model
- Restored for reliability and ease of use
After the excellent Brescia, the Bugatti Type 37 took over in the sporting domaine. What was missing was a standard touring car that could capitalise on the 1.5-litre 12-valve engine, and the Type 40 filled this gap. On the base of a new, relatively short chassis, the marque from Molsheim proposed several open and closed bodies, one of the most popular being the " Grand Sport ", a four-seater with a hood. This was a smaller version of its big sister, the 43 GS. This lightweight car offered all the road-going attributes of a " grande " Bugatti : lively, responsive and very robust with excellent braking, but much more affordable. It allowed many enthusiasts to enjoy a Bugatti without jeopardising their finances. In total, 830 examples (40 and 40A together) were produced.
Delivered to London on 6 November 1928, the Bugatti 40, chassis n°681 that we are presenting was first registered in England on 30 April 1929. In 1952, we find the car in Liverpool registered with the number VN 137, in the name of a certain Richard Chas Windsor. It had a 2-litre MG type QPHG engine (n°2022), in a tourer body, as indicated on an old registration document in the file. The car changed hands in October 1956.
On 16 May 1984, still in England, it was registered SL9785 in Stroud, in the name of Rita Marjorie Townsend ; the car still had its MG engine at that point but was returned soon after to its original configuration, fitted with the four-cylinder Bugatti engine n°342, as indicated on an administrative form dating from 1990. At this time, the car was acquired by renowned dealer Dan Margulies, based in Queens Gate Place Mews, in West London. During this period the car would have received new, or refurbished Grand Sport coachwork by Wilkinson, also in England.
In September 1996, it was sold to the Portuguese collector Fernando Dos Santos who took the car to Portugal where it was registered. Fifteen years later, in 2011, it was registered in France by the current owner, a connoisseur and serious collector. The engine was entrusted to Gentry Restoration in England, and the cylinder block was replaced (the original will be supplied with the car), along with the pistons, cylinders, valves, and valve guides and seats. This work, costing £8 000 (close to €10 000 at that time), is documented in an invoice in the file.
Various other maintenance jobs were then carried out, in order to make the car more reliable, as the owner wanted to use it regularly and easily over long distances. This work was carried out in the Novo workshop (oil change, spark plugs etc), and also by Jean-Luc Bonnefoy (replacement of hoses, wiring to the lights, pilot lights with integrated indicators, lubrication, oil change, adjustments).
The midnight blue body is in lovely condition, as is the midnight blue leather interior and the hood that is quite easy to operate. The Jaeger instruments include a rev counter, clock, ammeter and oil pressure gauge (marked Bugatti).
This automobile displays a nice patina today and has been mechanically overhauled in a spirit of " restore to drive " that is in keeping the owner's way of thinking. Sporty, elegant and lightweight, it is ready for its new owner to take to the road on a long distance rally or a gentle drive, at the wheel of one of the legendary " Pur-sang de l'automobile ", in the true spirit of the roaring twenties.

Stunningly beautiful
Concours standard rebuild
A centrepiece for any collection
Bridging the gap between the opulent Royale and 3-litre Type 44, the Type 46 was first launched at the 1929 Paris Motor Show and production began in the same year. The car featured a Straight eight engine which was a work of art in itself. Even though Bugatti was known for its noisy racecars, the luxurious Type 46 was a great success with over 450 examples built. Body styles for the Type 46 were diverse, the most distinct and dramatic being the ‘Super Profile’, using a raked windscreen and sweeping two tone paint job to great effect.
This is an absolutely breath-taking example of the Super Profile, often considered as the finest design work of Jean Bugatti. Totally rebuilt to absolute concours standard, this Type 46 is ready to be shown at many of the world’s top concours events. Finished in the amazing art deco colour scheme of Raven Black with Acid Yellow sides and Tan Ostrich leather interior, this is all complemented by fine wood and turned polished alloy fittings.
Automobile rolling art at its very best and most beautiful, this important motor car would be a welcome addition to any significant collection.

BUGATTI SAN DIEGO IS PROUD TO PRESENT THIS STUNNING PRE-ENJOYED 2012 BUGATTI VEYRON GRANDSPORT. CALL TODAY AT 858 454 1800!! Bugatti San Diego is proud to offer this pre-enjoyed 2012 Bugatti Veyron Grandsport painted black with red accents. This vehicle features chrome multi-spoke wheels, mesh grilles, glass removable top, red calipers, red side skirt, red pin stripe, matte red engine covers, red underpainted wing, two tone interior in red with black inserts, carbon fiber interior and much more. This car has just been serviced from the factory with BRAND NEW tires and comes with a one year warranty. To find out more information about this Bugatti Veyron Grandsport, call today! We have trained professionals on the showroom floors at all times and we do consider trade in vehicles. Special financing/leasing is available. We look forward to hearing from you soon! 858 454 1800 Follow us on Instagram @SymbolicMotors!

Chassis No. 44376 Engine No. 470 Registration SV 4707 -If you are looking for exciting performance, coupled with usability and reliability for the wide array of Bugatti rallies, hill climbs and events around the globe this is the car. -Beautifully presented throughout and the holder of the hill record at Prescott for a Type 44. -A rare opportunity to acquire such a well known , well restored, well prepared and well proven example of Bugatti’s stunning 3-litre Type 44.

Chassis No. BC038 Engine No. 1251 Registration WX 4381 -A stunning example of the rarer Type 22 Brescia. -30 years in the ownership of its current owner, a prominent member of the Bugatti Owners Club and former curator of the Bugatti trust. -Well known, well proven and a regular feature on Bugatti events, hill climbs and international rallies. -Light and nimble to drive, the attention to detail on the work that has gone into the restoration is very impressive.

The Bugatti Veyron Vitesse is a car which needs no introduction, it is the fastest and most expensive production convertible in the world. The new Bugatti Veryon Vitesse which we recently delivered to a customer is one of the most elegant and beautiful cars we have ever had the privilege of selling. This Bugatti Vitesse is finished in pearl white with bare blue carbon fibre.

1929 Bugatti Type 40 Jean Bugatti Roadster s/n 40845, engine no. 769 Two Tone Red and Black with Black Leather Interior Built in the heyday of Bugatti’s illustrious Grand Prix successes, the Type 40 was among the company’s smallest offerings, but incorporated many of the same innovations that distinguished the company’s cars both on and off the track. The engine was virtually identically to that of the Type 37 Grand Prix car, a single overhead camshaft inline four with three valves per cylinder. A 4-speed gearbox transmitted power to the rear wheels. A total of 775 examples were built, of which just 42 wore the most sporting and beautiful “Jean Bugatti Roadster” bodywork, itself adapted from the stunning open bodywork he had designed for the eight-cylinder Type 43A. Of the 42 Type 40s built with this bodywork, just 13 survive today, and this is an exceptionally original example that retains its original body, frame, engine, and gearbox. Jean Bugatti personally kept the first Type 40 with this bodywork, finished in the same color that this car wears: two tone black and red. Originally ordered by Bugatti’s Paris agent, Larrousé, this chassis was completed in January of 1930 and the b